truongn2

Hi ,

I have a general question about being in the IT field and hope you guys can help me.

I am just trying to get a sense of what it is like to be an IT support person for a company. I am looking to go into this career path and just started an internship in the IT department of a small bank.

My question is, is there such thing as a common / general job description for an IT Support position? Or is it different for every company?

I am trying to get some experience before I apply for a full-time position. And so far, I am doing some simple task like updating computers and working with email systems, along with other random non-IT task. Is this typical?

Thanks very much for your input!

Cellus

It depends on the position. As you go up the career ladder possible positions broaden to specialties.

NOTE: The titles listed are not comprehensive in scope, nor dead-on accurate. This is because organizations use a wide variety of labels (Technician/Analyst/Engineer/Administrator) in an atypical fashion. Until you reach the more specific specialties (eg. Networking, Security, etc), the positions can be called pretty much anything. Any titles you see me toss around are typically the most "proper" titles for the appropriate positions, however opinions may vary.

For starters there is the good old-fashioned Help Desk Technician / Desktop Support Technician (aka: Tier 1 support). This person is responsible for the initial handling of support tickets ("Hi I have a problem...") via phone, e-mail, and Help Desk software. When you phone up tech support, the first person you will be speaking to will be Tier 1. They are also typically responsible, at least in part if not in full, for the maintenance, repair, and staging of workstations.

If Tier 1 support is unable to successfully close a ticket (resolve a support issue) because of inadequate knowledge, experience, or permissions, the ticket is escalated to the Help Desk Manager / Systems Administrator (aka. Tier 2/3 support). This position is typically responsible for the corporate network (servers and workstations). Depending on the breadth of the department, they may also be responsible for handling network hardware (switches, routers, etc).

All in all, the lines between Systems and Networking can blur (dependent on the IT department), however once you go beyond that you start hitting particular specialties/niches. There are all kinds of flavours available: Networking, Security, Infrastructure, Databases, the list goes on.

An internship is a fantastic idea to start your career. It is definitely a good way to start gaining experience. However on top of that you should consider expanding your knowledgebase by obtaining certifications (A+, Network+, MCSA/MCSE, CCNA, GSEC, LPIC, <insert acronym here>). There is a whole slew of certifications out there - obtaining a few is a must if you want to go up the ladder.

truongn2

cool thanks for the tips!